Brett Favre is living with Parkinson’s Disease, he revealed in September 2024. The former NFL player is known for his 20-year career in the league, particularly with the Green Bay Packers. And as a Football Hall of Fame member, Brett has been revered as one of the most influential players. However, his recent health revelation sparked concern among sports fans.
Learn more about Brett’s health and how he’s doing now, below.
Brett Favre Reveals Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis
During his opening statement before Congress, @BrettFavre says he's recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Full video here: https://t.co/bANW0t3SK6 pic.twitter.com/IFQzqC847M
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 24, 2024
While speaking in front of the House Ways and Means Committee to discuss the dispersal of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families in September 2024, Brett disclosed that he was diagnosed with the disease.
“Sadly, I also lost my investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” he explained. “As I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me — I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s — this is also a cause dear to my heart. Recently, the doctor running the company pleaded guilty to taking TANF money for his own use.”
What Is Parkinson’s Disease?
According to Mayo Clinic, Parkinson’s Disease is a “movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time.” Symptoms of the neurological condition gradually worsens. Symptoms include tremors in the hands or fingers, slower movement, rigid muscles, speech changes such as slurring and the loss of automatic movements in the body.
Parkinson’s Disease cannot be cured, but certain medications may help manage symptoms, per Mayo Clinic.
Does Brett Favre Have Injuries From Football?
Previously, Brett revealed that he had suffered countless head injuries while playing football. During a 2018 interview on TODAY, the retired athlete acknowledged that he’s had “three or four” known concussions on the field — but Brett believed that he’s actually had more.
“But as we’re learning about concussions, there’s a term that is often used in football — and maybe in other sports — that I got ‘dinged,'” Brett said at the time. “As Dr. [Bennet] Omalu, who was portrayed by Will Smith in the movie Concussion has said, ‘Dinged is a concussion.’ When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion. And if that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening.”
While admitting that he “absolutely” did not consider the danger of the injuries, Brett discussed the “price” he’d probably “pay” in his future like other players have.
“You saw older players, retired players, and they would walk with a limp. [You thought], ‘That’s what I’m going to look like someday, that’s the price that you pay,'” Brett said, while noting that his “short-term memory” was impacted.
Brett then pointed out that, at the time, he was 48 and the cognitive setbacks he was noticing could have been due to age.
“Having played 20 years, could it just be as we all like to say as we get a little bit older, ‘I forgot my keys and they were in my hand?’ Or, ‘Where are my glasses, and they’re on your head?,'” Brett explained. “I wonder if that’s what it is or do I have early stages of CTE [Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy]. I don’t know.”